Author: Rossane Ramos

“I hope you’re all doing your best to stay healthy and as positive as can be during this situation.” Celine Dion expressed her gratitude to different frontliners for their “heroic” work in risking their lives to serve the people. The Canadian singer also asked her fans to practice social distancing.  In an Instagram video posted on April 16, she thanked healthcare professionals, first responders, social workers and essential service providers like grocery store and delivery employees for fighting the pandemic in the frontlines.  “These people have families and loved ones who they’re worried about but they still go out to…

After beating the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, Pinay senior nurse Alicia Borja received a heartwarming send-off from her fellow frontliners at the Northwick Park Hospital in the United Kingdom on Thursday. Borja was greeted by her colleagues who lined up at the corridors to cheer her on as she finally made her way home after a month of battling the illness. “I just want to thank my colleagues. I’ve got so much love for them. They are such a fantastic team. haven’t been able to see my daughters for a month so I can’t wait to get home,” she said in…

Major telecommunications provider Globe Telecom launched a free eLibrary for K-12 students, teachers and parents to allow learning even while in lockdown.  The Globe eLibrary is both a web platform and mobile application that will feature age-appropriate ebooks and videos provided by the Department of Education (DepEd). “The platform aims to supplement classroom learning and help nurture a lifelong love for reading among Filipino children. Through the free service, teachers and parents could make full use of the wide selection of content to create a fun and engaging educational experience,” Globe said in its website.    Textbooks on core subjects like…

After analyzing satellite images of Manila Bay having “Boracay-like” turquoise waters, a group of researchers said that the sudden change in color was possibly caused by pollution. On March 25, photos and videos of Manila Bay in an unusually “brighter” and “bluer” state went viral on social media. Many thought the natural harbor’s change in appearance was brought about by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) placed on Luzon, which was reducing human activity and pollutants. But using images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3, the Sustained Support for Local Space Technology & Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space)…

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines on Wednesday hailed young celebrity singer Darren Espanto as their new Youth Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals.  “UNDP recognizes young people’s potential as agents of change! We partner with young people, youth organizations and actors from civil society and private promote youth-focused and youth-led development,” UNDP wrote on their Instagram page.  On his Instagram page, Espanto shared how it is an honor to be of service as an advocate.  His caption read: “In this time of uncertainty and difficulty, it is our obligation to look after each one and to make sure…

On March 24, veteran actress Sylvia Sanchez announced that she and her husband Art Atayde tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).  After weeks of battling the illness, the couple have finally recovered from the disease on April 9.  “The results from April 9 came back and they both tested negative,” she said in a Facebook post.  Early Thursday, the 48-year-old actress took to social media once again to happily inform her fans that she is finally home. Meanwhile, her husband will stay in the hospital for two or three more days while he waits for his next result to test negative.  …

Isolated COVID-19 patients at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) can now have “e-dalaw”. The UP College of Medicine Surgical Innovations and Biotechnology Laboratory (SIBOL) announced on Wednesday that they have developed telepresence computers for the use of the PGH coronavirus areas. These computer systems will allow COVID-19 patients in isolation to communicate with their loved ones and families. The units can also be used by doctors and nurses for interacting with the patients. “Ang mga pasyenteng may COVID ay hindi lamang numero o statistic, sila po ay taong may nagmamahal at may minamahal na pamilya. Pwede na po sila makausap…

OPM band Ben&Ben is set to release their first international single titled Doors on April 16. On their Facebook page, they shared that the song about the current quarantine period is “quite sad but hopeful.” On April 18, the nine-piece group will hold another live event on their YouTube channel to raise funds for those affected by communities affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. (READ: Ben&Ben to hold fundraising online concert for COVID-19 efforts) They will also focus their help on providing personal protective equipment (PPEs), nutrition support for healthcare workers, COVID-19 testing kits and relief goods for daily wage…

“Kailan pa ba ako matututo kundi ngayon?” Kapuso star Dingdong Dantes is taking his time in quarantine to catch up on his longtime dream of learning how to play the guitar.  On Instagram, the actor shared how he always wanted to learn how to play a whole song with his guitar.  Dantes was ready to give up on that dream until he saw a post of Kim Atienza making the most of his lockdown time to learn an instrument.  “I’ve always wanted to learn how to play a whole song on guitar. The farthest I’ve reached was learning 3 chords…

On April 10, Ethel Booba disowned the popular Twitter account @IamEthylGabison. The eight-year-old profile with 1.6 million followers — famous for its comedic yet controversial posts — was deactivated after she pleaded to her 40,000 followers on Facebook to mass report the account. (READ: ‘Stop using my name’: Ethel Booba says popular Twitter account is not hers) Late Tuesday, Ethel released a video on her YouTube channel explaining why she asked the profile to be taken down. The comedienne admitted that she once had her own Twitter profile @IamRealGabisonEthyl but after witnessing so much “hatred” in the platform, she deactivated the…